Gerlt House

Thoughts, questions and obeservations on daily life at the Gerlt House.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Still nothin'...

In case you are wondering...yes. I'm still pregnant. No Jake. Not yet. At some point he'll have to come out. Anna Kate says, "He doesn't fit in your clothes anymore. He has to come out!" I agree. We can't wait!! We're doing our best to be patient. I'm doing my best to be content and enjoy these last days (or weeks!) with my TWO kids and Chad and sleep. I'm as prepared as I have ever been for anything in my life. I have nested until I can nest no more. Every piece of laundry is done. Every closet is clean. Every cabinet. Every drawer. All the tiny blue clothes are washed and folded. Yes, we are ready. Bring it on, Jake.

Meanwhile, we're filling our time with some fun things. We've been enjoying swimming at the Rec Center down the street. The kids love to get their energy out. I love the fact that everyone there is at least 50 years older than me. That means that, though I am 9 months pregnant, I can swim comfortably without a t-shirt draped over my body for the first time in years. Ah, the little things in life.

We also met Momma D, Logan and Carsyn in Granbury for some fun a few weeks ago. We ate, played at the park, and savored the fact that we're close enough to meet for the afternoon.

And, of course, we're still plugging away at school. It is going very well. Some of the novelty has worn off as is to be expected. But overall, we love it. We're thrilled with the progress we're seeing in both kids. We're learning to be flexible and that things that aren't necessarily considered as "school" can still be very beneficial and fun. Like making pizza. Today we made tiny pizzas and had a blast. You can see pictures of the gourmet masterpieces (and the other events mentioned) by clicking on the picture below. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Jesus' Precious Blood

Thinking hard this morning about the precious blood of Jesus. Scripture has many rich texts that talks about it. One that stands out this morning is Hebrews 9:11-14:

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more with the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

Wow.

I've really been digging this song lately written by William J. Irons, published in the Gadsby Hymnal. It has been set to fresh music by Red Mountain Church in their album "The Gadsby Project". You should order yourself a copy today. As a matter of fact, you should order all of their CD's. You'll love them. But this song...I can't get it out of my head.

Jesus' Precious BloodWhat sacred fountain yonder springs up from the throne of God, and all new covenant blessings brings? 'Tis Jesus' precious blood.What mighty sum paid all my debt, when I a bondman stood, and has my soul at freedom set? 'Tis Jesus' precious blood.What stream can sweep away my sin just like a flood, nor lets one guilty blemish stay? 'Tis Jesus' precious blood.What voice is that which speaks for me in heaven's court for good, and from the curse has set me free? 'Tis Jesus' precious blood.What theme, my soul shall best employ thy harp before thy God, and make all heaven to ring with joy? 'Tis Jesus' precious blood.

One more thing to leave you with this morning. Valley of Vision is one of my favorite books. It's a collection of Puritain thoughts and prayers. It is full of good stuff. Here is the thought on the precious blood of Jesus Christ:

Blessed Lord JesusBefore they cross I kneel and seethe heinousness of my sin,my iniquity that caused thee to be 'made a curse',the evil that excites the severity of divine wrath.Show me the enormity of my guilt bythe crown of thorns,the pierced hands and feet,the bruised body,the dying cries.Thy blood is the blood of incarnate God,its worth infinite, its value beyond all thought.Infinite must be the evil and guilt that demands such a price.Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper,born in my birth,alive in my life,strong in my character,dominating my faculties,following me as a shadow,intermingling with my every thought,my chain that holds me captive in the empire of my soul.Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light,the air supply breath,the earth bear my tread,its fruits nourish me,its creatures subserve my ends?Yet thy compassions yearn over me,thy heart hastens to my rescue,thy love endured my curse,thy mercy bore my undeserved stripes.Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths of humiliation,bathed in thy blood,tender of conscience,triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Goo!

So, I haven't posted in, well...many weeks. In my defense we've been busy. We started school last week! How fun. More on that later. Today I have two things to accomplish with this blog. 1.) I'm testing out the new Picasa web albums thing. 2.) I gotta tell you about GOO!!

Reverse that order. I'll tell you about Goo first. Goo is this magical stuff that the kids and I made yesterday in school. It's a little like play-doh only WAY cooler. It's easier to make and more fun to play with (in our opinion). It's cheap to make. It has provided hours of fun for all of us. All of you should make some. Today. Don't use not having kids as an excuse. No one is too cool for Goo. It will make you happy. Trust me. So here's the recipe:

1 cup of glue (plain, white glue)3/4 cup water

Mix the water and glue in a bowl.

1/2 cup water1 and 1/2 tsp. Borax (in the laundry detergent section)

Pour the borax mixture slowly into the glue and water. Stir it up. Mix a second batch of borax mixture and pour it in slowly. Knead it until it is completely congealed and solid. It shouldn't stick to your hands. We added some green food coloring to our glue and water. Our Goo looks like snot. Ha. Store it in a ziploc.

So, go try it. Borax is cheap. Glue is cheap. Water is cheaper. Have a blast.

For my second task, I'll try out the new Picasa web album thing that I downloaded. Here goes nothing:

Click on Anna Kate to see more pictures of us playing with our Goo. Enjoy!